Saddle-clip for bicycles



(No Model.)

E. WARD.

' SADDLE GLIP FOR BIGYOLES. v

No. 551,016. Patented Dec. 10, 1895.

WITNESSES: g/'- IIN'VJEVNTOB Arm/ Er f ANDREWEGRMMM.PNUTO-UTHQWASMNGTDNJ C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF E.

EUGENE WVARD, OF NEW'ARK, NEI/V JERSEY.

SADDLE-CLIP FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,016, dated December10,1895.

Application filed June 28, 1895. Serial No. 554,309. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE WARD,-a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at the city of Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Saddle-Clips for Bicycles andSimilar Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a clip which is used to secure the spring of thesaddle to its supporting L-post; and it consists in the peculiarconstruction of the clip, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my clip with a sectionof spring and of the L-post. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3is a bottom view of the keywedge. Fig. at is a modification of the clipfor holding a wire spring instead of a flat spring. Fig. 5 shows amodification wherein a rod is substituted for the saddle-spring,and Fig.6 is a top view of the key-wedge shown in Fig. 5.

Similar letters designate similar parts in' all the figures.

A is the body of the clip, which is formed or cast in a single piece,and is provided beneath its crown E with a suitable seat for the springF, and is also provided with a seat 0 for the L-post G. A key-wedge Bisprovided with arms 6 e and 6'6 and is inserted in the clip A between thespring E and the L-post G, the recesses Z) and c in its ends allowing itto be adjusted from side to side of the clip. The set-screw H passesthrough the clip A and bears with its end against the back of thekey-wedge B, the forward end of which is supported by the inclinedbearing D of the clip A, and by tightening the set-screw the key-wedgewill be driven tightly between the spring and the L-post, firmly lockingthem in place. By placing the set-screw at the side of the clip andbetween the L-post and spring I save the space that it would occupy ifplaced below the L-post and am able to set the saddle lower. upon thebicycle. The setscrew is also more conveniently accessible and the clipcan be more readily adjusted as desired. In my clip,also,I providecarefullyfitted seats, of the whole thickness of the clip, for thespring and L-post, and clamp them firmly in these seats by filling theintermediate space with the key-wedge B, which bears evenly with itsentire width against their opposing faces, thus exerting; its forcewithin the side lines of the clip and giving a direct and positive gripupon the spring and L-post over the whole length of their seats. Thisinsures the holding of the spring and L-post with great steadiness intheir seats and with much less pressure and strain on the clip than ispossible. where the point of the setscrew is made to bear directlyagainst one part, as the L-post, transmitting its force through thatagainst the spring. Italso avoids the tendency to bend or warp theL-post or the spring, which tendency is exerted by clips wherein theseats do not afford continuous support in the direct line of theclamping pressure. Such clips have a constant tendency to distort andstrain the spring and L- post, requiring increased strength and weightof metal to resist such tendency; and in my construction the strain uponthe clip is more evenly distributed and the pressure upon the thread ofthe set-screw is greatly reduced.

The bearin g D is inclined at an angle which, if extended, wouldcoincide with the crown of the L-post G; The lower side of the keywedge13, therefore, rests evenly upon the L post and the bearing D, and thekey-wedge when pressed home is raised through its entire lengthuniformly against the lower side of. the spring. Any tendency of thekeywedge to rock, and thereby grip one edge of the spring more firmlythan the other, is thus overcome, and the arms 6 e e e, embracing thesides of the clip, prevent the lateral displacement of the key-wedge.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of my clip wherein the crown ofthe clip is provided with recessed seats e' e' to receive a wire springI I instead of the flat spring F, and in Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown afurther modification wherein the upper half of the clip is a'duplicationof the lower half, its seat 0 corresponding with the lower seat 0 andbeing adapted to hold a saddle-rod G. I have spoken of the saddle asbeing supported upon a spring; but it is obvious that the operation ofthe clip will be the same whether it is used with a rigid support orwith a spring.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, in a saddle clip, of a body or castingprovided witha saddle-support seat and an Lpost seat, with akey-wedge adapted to beinserted between said seats, to lock the saddle-support and L posttherein, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a saddle clip, of a body or casting provided witha saddle-support seat, an L post seat, and an inclined keywedge bearing,with a key-wedge adapted to be inserted between said seats, bearing withits forward end upon the inclined bearing of the clip body, to lock thesaddle-support and L post in place, substantially as described.

The combination, in a saddle-clip, of a body or casting, provided withasaddle-support sea-t, an L post seat and an inclined keywedge bearing,with a key-wedge, provided with arms to embrace the sides of the clip,and adapted to be inserted between the saddlesupport and L post to lockthem in their respective seats, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a saddle-clip, of a body or casting, providedwith a saddle-support seat, an L post seat and an inclined keywedgebearing, a key-wedge, provided with arms to embrace the sides of theclip and adapted to be inserted between the saddlesupport and L post, tolock them in place, and a set screw to press said key-wedge into place,substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a saddle clip, of a body or casting, providedwith a saddle-support seat in its upper portion, anL post seat in itslower portion, a set screw inserted through the side of said clipbetween said seats, akey-Wedge, entering horizontally between thesaddle-support and L post, to lock them in place, and being driven homeby said set screw, substantially as described.

6. The combination in a saddle-clip of a body or casting provided with asaddle-support seat and an inclined keyqvedg'e bearing, a key-wedgeentering between said saddlesupport seat and key-wedge bearing to lockthe saddle-support in its said seat, and means for attaching said clipto the L-post.

EUGENE VARD.

Vitnesses:

WM. PENNINGTON, KATE B. \VARD.

